Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—Police charged a Matteson man with possession with intent to deliver after allegedly finding over 190 grams of narcotics during a traffic stop. In another traffic stop, police arrested a driver and his passenger, charging them with possession of a controlled substance.
Reports beginning October 1, 2024 follow.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning October 1, 2024
Animal at Large, Dog Bite
A man was walking home from the grocery store on October 1, his hands full of grocery bags. While on the sidewalk, he passed in front of a home in the 200 block of Allegheny Street. A tan and white Pit Bull was in the doorway of the residence.
The dog jumped through the screen door and charged at the man. He tried to run away, but the dog bit him in the left leg. The man hit the dog with his grocery bags and got away.
The resident of the home where the dog came from, Cordella T. Walker, 40, of the 200 block of Allegheny St., Park Forest, called the pitbull, and it ran inside the home. The man the dog bit continued to his house and called the police.
A responding officer saw a large laceration on the man’s leg that was bleeding steadily. Park Forest Paramedics treated him while the officer went to the home where the dog came from. When the officer went to the house, he saw a large tan and white Pit Bull running around the front yard without a leash. The dog ran through the street, according to police. It had what appeared to be a red blood-like stain on the white fur around its mouth, police said.
Mr. Walker was present and was able to get the dog back inside the home.
The officer told Mr. Walker about the incident. At first, Mr. Walker allegedly said he did not know that the dog bit anyone, according to police. He then admitted that he saw the dog jumping at the man, and the man hit the dog with the bags of groceries before he called it home, according to police.
Mr. Walker was unable to provide the officer with any vaccination records for the animal, nor could he provide village registration for the dog, according to police. The officer issued Mr. Walker municipal citations charging animal at large, dog bite, and an unregistered animal. The officer also issued Mr. Walker a bite card and told him to take the dog to the vet for disease testing.
Paramedics transported the man the dog bit to Franciscan Hospital in Olympia Fields for further treatment.
Suspended License
Police arrested Breanna L. Coleman, 25, of the first block of Indianwood Blvd., Park Forest, on October 2 and charged her with no taillights and driving while her license was suspended. The officer also processed Ms. Coleman on a Cook County warrant on a charge of failure to appear, according to police.
While driving southbound on Western Avenue at 3:28 AM, the officer saw a brown 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander turn off Indianwood Boulevard onto Western Avenue northbound. As the Mitsubishi passed, the officer noticed that the car allegedly did not have rear tail lights illuminated, according to police.
Possession With Intent to Deliver
Police arrested Victor T. Trout Jr., 28, of the 3600 block of W. 213th St., Matteson, and issued him a traffic citation charging possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle and charged him with possession with intent to deliver and resisting a peace officer.
An officer patrolling at 10:54 AM saw a silver Camaro traveling westbound on 26th Street. The police said the car allegedly had no front registration plate. The officer positioned his vehicle behind the Camaro and, after doing so, saw one or both occupants reaching into the back seat, bringing something to the front seat area, according to police.
The officer activated his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop on 26 Street near Birch Street. Mr. Trout was the driver of the vehicle. He could not provide a driver’s license, so an officer asked his name and date of birth.
While speaking with Mr. Trout, the officer noticed a strong odor of fresh, unburned cannabis coming from inside the car, according to police. When asked, Mr. Trout allegedly said that he had just smoked a “blunt,” according to police. The officer said the smell was more like fresh cannabis, not burnt. He asked Mr. Trout to step out of the car so he could search the vehicle.
Mylar Bags
While conducting a safety patdown of Mr. Trout, the officer found a Mylar bag. Mr. Trout allegedly said it was “marijuana,” according to police. The officer found five Mylar bags during the patdown, two containing a green leafy substance suspected to be cannabis, according to police. While searching the car, the officer found five individual vape devices weighing 20 g each, each labeled to contain THC, according to police.
The officer also found a yellow Mylar bag that weighed 15.3 g containing a green leaf-like substance suspected to be cannabis, according to police. At this, the officer told Mr. Trout he was arresting him. Mr. Trout allegedly began to attempt to defeat the arrest by tensing his arms and pulling in front of his person, police said. Another officer came to assist in putting handcuffs on Mr. Trout.
Large Amount of Cash in Possession With Intent to Deliver Arrest
Police found a clear Ziploc bag filled with a green leafy-like substance that weighed 58.1 grams, according to the report. Police transported Mr. Trout to the Park Forest Police Department. They discovered a large amount of cash in his person, totaling $1811, according to police. After police Mirandized him, Mr. Trout invoked his right to have an attorney present, according to police.
The total weight of narcotics suspected to be cannabis police allegedly recovered was 193.6 g, according to the report.
Two Charged With Possession of a Controlled Substance
Police arrested Leon L. Duckworth, 71, of the 3400 block of Roesner Drive, Markham, and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs, possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, and driving with high beams illuminated.
Police also arrested a passenger in the car, Sheila M. Jones-Thompson, 55, of the 400 block of Shabbona Dr., Park Forest, and charged her with resisting and possession of a controlled substance.
An officer patrolling at 8:23 PM saw a white Nissan heading north on Western Avenue from Sycamore Drive that allegedly had its high beams illuminated, police said. The officer got behind the Nissan and activated the emergency lights on his patrol vehicle, initiating a traffic stop at Western Avenue and Monee Road, according to police. The police said Mr. Duckworth was the driver of the car. The officer asked Mr. Duckworth to step out of the vehicle.
Officer Suspects DUI
According to police, the officer saw that Mr. Duckworth’s eyes were glassy and his pupils were dilated. Mr. Duckworth also had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, police said. Another officer arrived on the scene to assist.
Police asked Mr. Duckworth to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. He agreed to do so. Mr. Duckworth told police that he had just picked up Ms. Jones-Thompson, and they were out driving around. He allegedly said he had two Miller Genuine Draft beers a few hours prior. After the tests, the officer asked him whether Mr. Duckworth took drugs while consuming the beers. He allegedly stated that he had cocaine a few days prior, according to police.
An officer advised Mr. Duckworth he was arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Passenger Allegedly Refuses to Exit Car
Police advised Ms. Jones-Thompson to exit the vehicle as they were having the car towed because of the arrest. Ms. Jones-Thompson allegedly refused to get out of the car after being told multiple times by both officers, police said. Police said in the report that she was sitting on a plate, attempting to conceal what was on the plate.
Officers forcibly removed Ms. Jones-Thompson from the vehicle. After doing so, police saw a white powdery substance on the plate and the passenger seat. Officers placed Ms. Jones-Thompson in handcuffs, according to police.
At the Park Forest Police Department, police located a white powdery substance on the back left leg of Ms. Jones-Thompson’s jeans, police said. Police collected the white powdery substance, which field-tested positive for the presumptive presence of cocaine, police said.
Mr. Duckworth submitted a breath sample yielding a BAC of .077, the police said.
During an interview, Mr. Duckworth allegedly said he purchased the cocaine in Hazel Crest for about $40, police said. He said he recently picked up the habit of doing cocaine for recreational purposes, according to police. He allegedly admitted to taking a line of cocaine as he drove a few minutes before police pulled him over, according to the report.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has continuously published the addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department), shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g., “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.
We do not strike, “unpublish,” or delete news.
According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
